


one single thread of gold tied me to you

by nonbinarynino



Series: my LBSC fics! [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Different First Meeting... sort of, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Secret Identity, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, no identity reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27605273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonbinarynino/pseuds/nonbinarynino
Summary: On her left wrist lies the first phrase her soulmate will ever say to her. "I thought you might need some help."Luka’s first words to her are “Hello, Mamamarinette,” so she only allows herself to daydream about being his soulmate at night.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: my LBSC fics! [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943359
Comments: 9
Kudos: 141
Collections: LBSCSprintFicChallenge





	one single thread of gold tied me to you

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU where Marinette did not choose Viperion, and he instead is a permanent hero chosen by Master Fu... as he should!!!!
> 
> For the LBSC challenge prompt: “My soul chose yours. And a soul doesn’t just forget that.”

Marinette doesn’t know too much about her soulmate.

Her soulmate mark had been present when she was born, meaning that her soulmate is older than her. The words are vague, giving away nothing about her soulmate’s gender or social status.

On her left wrist lies the first phrase her soulmate will ever say to her. _I thought you might need some help._ Marinette imagines the context that the words may be spoken in – maybe she drops her grocery bags, or almost misses the bus. No matter what, it speaks of concern and empathy, and it makes her hopeful.

The first words that Alya says to her are “ _Come on,”_ her arm around Marinette’s wrist. Chat tells her that it’s ‘nice of her to drop in’ when she wraps him up in her yoyo on accident. The first words that Adrien says to her are _“I was just trying to take this off,”_ though she spends a long time imagining a life where he had said her soulmark words to her, perhaps years ago, when they were children. It would have been easy to forget, after all, but soon, Marinette makes her peace with the fact that it never happened. She eventually realizes that it’s better off that way, anyway.

Luka’s first words to her are “ _Hello, Mamamarinette_ ,” so she only allows herself to daydream about being his soulmate at night. It makes no sense, and it’s a certain impossibility… and yet, she finds herself thinking of it often.

* * *

Contrary to how many times Rena Rouge pries, Ladybug doesn’t _actually_ know who most of the heroes are.

Sure, she had given Rena Rouge and Carapace their Miraculouses directly, but after the Queen Bee debacle, she and Master Fu had agreed it’s best that she does not know in the future. So she had given him her recommendations, and Chat Noir had also given his, and then… they were just informed of when a new hero would soon arise, but not who they would be.

Viperion comes shortly after that. The first recommended pick.

He shows up for the first time amid one of the worst akuma battles that Ladybug has experienced. At first, he does not speak at all, too busy jumping right into the fray, but eventually he makes his way over to where Ladybug is fighting. “I thought you might need some help,” he says with a big grin. “I’m Viperion. What do you need me to do?”

Ladybug smiles right back, but it wipes right off her face when she realizes what has been said. Unable to process that, she simply replies, “Can you use your Second Chance? I’m going to need it.”

She spends the entire battle antsy, wondering what the conversation will be like afterwards. It, of course, had not been time to talk about their soulmate status during a battle. Is she going to have to bring it up, or will he? Hopefully he’ll connect the dots, because her reply to his question had not been very common.

But after the battle, Viperion doesn’t make any effort to speak to her. He bids her a strict farewell, tells her that he will come to help whenever he can, and disappears.

Ladybug spends the journey home wracking her brain for why that could be. When she realizes that she is not his soulmate in return, she trips on her feet.

She had never even thought to worry about that. It had simply never been an option, but now it’s her reality.

* * *

After her patrol that Friday night, she simply cannot force herself to go home. It’s not the physical exertion of the patrol itself, but the exhaustion of the horrible week that she’s been having. She still hasn’t told her parents that her soulmate is unrequited. She doesn’t know how, not when they’ve been daydreaming about her future spouse since she’s been a concept.

“I thought I might find you out here,” a voice says. She doesn’t even need to turn to figure out who it is. It’s weird that he’s here, though, since his patrol is tomorrow night.

“Hey, Viperion,” she says. She doesn’t want to look at him, so she stares at her feet, which dangle off the edge of the rooftop. It’s a long fall down. “Yeah, I’ve been procrastinating going home. It’s, uh… cold out.”

He sits down next to her, far enough away that she still has her own space. “It is,” he agrees, though she doesn’t need to be a genius to realize that he has not fallen for her excuse. “I hear ladybugs get cold in the winter.”

“Yeah,” Ladybug agrees, cracking a pained smile. “Here’s to hoping I don’t start hibernating mid Hawkmoth fight.”

Viperion simply hums in response, apparently not wanting to dwell too long on that reality. “You… hold yourself well,” he compliments. It sounds awkward but not forced. “Even so, I can tell that something has you out of tune.”

It isn’t difficult to tell why her soul has chosen him. His body sings with empathy, and his voice breathes life into the air around him. Falling for him is a horrible idea logistically, but she feels as though it’s inevitable.

“I met my soulmate,” she explains. As a last-ditch effort, she hopes that Viperion will perk up in recognition or eagerness, but he doesn’t. He remains composed with the concerned nature of a friend. The disappointment somehow hurts now more than it had before. “I don’t think that I’m his.”

“Ah,” Viperion says, meeting her gaze. His concern has shifted into something more forlorn. “Then I guess that you and I have something in common.”

Ladybug had not known that it was possible for her heart to sink further. “Oh,” she says. At least one of them should have it easy. She knows, objectively, that those with unrequited soulmates can still be happy, but it doesn’t make the _now_ and _here_ hurt any less. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” he replies. “Her first words were her saying her name, so there was never any room to doubt. But she never said anything about soulmates, so I can only assume.”

“Oh,” Ladybug says. “I’m so sorry. It sucks.” _Knowing you’re doomed to care more about them before you even know them._ _Knowing you’re inherently suffocating._

“It does,” Viperion agrees, now looking out into the cityscape. “But I know she’s in my life. When I’m out here, I’m ensuring that she and other Parisians are safe. That must be enough.”

“Have you told her?” Ladybug asks. She doesn’t know if she wants him to or not and cannot decide which answer is most selfish.

“No,” he replies, though he sounds thoughtful. “I’ve thought about it, but I just know it might ruin things. Have you?”

“No,” she says as well. “I think I should. I just don’t know how.”

“I will if you will,” he declares, touching her shoulder with the tips of his fingers, as if not to be too much. “I owe her that much.”

“Alright,” Ladybug confirms, and stands up. She feels surprisingly invigorated by the conversation, but not enough to tell him right now. She still needs time to prepare and agonize. “I’ll tell him this weekend, then.” Why not?

“Me too,” he tells her. He stands up as well, giving her a parting smile. She gives him one right back, and it’s not even as pained as before. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

In between Lila and her job as Ladybug, Marinette has learned to expect the unexpected.

Nevertheless, she simply had not expected Viperion to show up on her balcony that night. She’s curled up around a cup of hot chocolate when he arrives, a fuzzy pink blanket laid over her. “Hi,” she says, surprised. Her interactions with Viperion as Marinette have been short and in passing, usually in instances where she is trying to find somewhere to transform. “What brings you here?”

“Nothing much,” he says, as if that isn’t incredibly suspicious. He seems to realize that, quickly backtracking. “I patrol on Saturdays, and I saw you were up. I thought I’d make sure that you’re alright.”

“Yeah, I… I’m okay.” She realizes that now might be her best shot to tell him that he is her soulmate. If she tells him as Marinette, it won’t impact her working relationship with him. He’ll apologize, tell her that his soulmate is somebody else, and they can all move on with their lives. It could cause issues down the line if she ever reveals her identity, but before she can overthink it, she blurts out: “You’re my soulmate.”

Viperion stops like a deer in headlights. “What?”

“You’re my soulmate,” she repeats, nervous now. It’s scarier saying it the second time. “You said my words the other day. I know I’m not yours, and that’s completely fine, promise! I just thought you should know.”

“Wait, _Marinette,_ ” he says, seemingly having lost control of the conversation. He holds his hand up to stop her from talking, so the ramble that she had been building up cuts off. “You’re mine, too. But you said them to me when I wasn’t Viperion. So when you didn’t say anything… I assumed that you had another soulmate.”

She jerks so sharply that she must raise her mug to stop the drink from spilling. “ _What?_ ” she demands, unintentionally repeating him. “I know you in real life? Wait, don’t tell me! Don’t tell me your words, either! Chat told me that you’re all bound to secrecy.” That's not a lie. Chat still comes to her balcony when he's upset, and sometimes he tells her a little too much about how the Miraculouses work. 

“I won’t,” he says, looking at her as though she just answered a question that he’s been asking his whole life. “I – I don’t know where to go from here.”

“Me neither,” she admits, then takes a deep breath. As relieving as it is to know who her soulmate is, the situation has just gotten exponentially more complicated, but that’s a worry for another day. “Come sit down. I’ll get you some hot chocolate and … we’ll figure it out.”

Viperion sits down with a warm smile. “Okay,” he says, as if everything is just that easy. Maybe it is. “We’ll figure it out.”

Hot chocolate is best with company, after all. When Marinette walks downstairs to pour him some, she finds herself smiling.


End file.
